Queensland Reds will be The 2025 British & Irish Lions’ second opponents on Australian soil as they look to build on a strong showing from last weekend.
The Lions scored eight tries in defeating Western Force 54-7 at Perth’s Optus Stadium and have travelled east to Brisbane to face the Reds, who proved tough opponents in their last meeting in 2013.
It was the boot of Owen Farrell that proved the difference at a packed Suncorp Stadium that night as the fly-half kicked five penalties and converted Ben Youngs’ first half try in a hard-fought 22-12 win.
Here we find out a bit more about the next Lions opponents on the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025.
History
Queensland have had a representative side since 1883, with their most notable result coming in 1980 when they defeated the touring All Blacks 9-3 at their former home, Ballymore Stadium.
They were one of the teams to compete in the ‘Super 10’ following its formation in 1993 and won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, beating South African provinces Natal and Transvaal in the respective finals.
With legendary players such as John Eales and Tim Horan in their ranks when rugby union turned professional, they continued to be a force in the now-expanded Super 12 in its first year, 1996, before losing their semi-final against the Sharks.
A top-placed finish in 1999 counted for nothing as the Crusaders defeated them in the semi-finals and this was the Reds’ last big run in the competition for a while as a succession of lowly final placings followed.
This included a ‘wooden spoon’ in 2007 under former Australia coach Eddie Jones, but they enjoyed a renaissance following the appointment of Ewan McKenzie in 2010.
In his second season in charge, the Reds won their first Super Rugby title when a team featuring Will Genia, Quade Cooper and James Horwill defeated the Crusaders 18-13 at Suncorp Stadium.
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They returned to the doldrums in the years that followed, although they enjoyed success again post-Covid when they won Super Rugby AU in 2021 by beating the Brumbies 19-16, thanks to a try off the final play from captain James O’Connor.
Their most recent season saw them finish fifth in Super Rugby Pacific, which was enough to reach the qualifying finals, with their campaign coming to an end with a 32-12 loss at the Crusaders.
Squad
The Reds are coached by Les Kiss, who will replace Joe Schmidt as Australia boss next year, and co-captained by back rower Liam Wright (currently injured) and scrum-half Tate McDermott.
Their squad includes eight players who are in the current Australia squad and two of them have been released for their match against the Lions in hooker Matt Faessler and centre Hunter Paisami.
Their colleagues Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggor, Harry Wilson, Filipo Daugunu, Tom Lynagh and McDermott have been retained by the Wallabies.
Lions fans will be familiar with Samoa lock Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen, who played in the Northern Hemisphere for Wasps and Ulster, and former Northampton Saints lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
Players to watch
Wallabies Paisami and Faessler will no doubt take to the field looking to prove a point as they look to force their way into Joe Schmidt’s reckoning ahead of the upcoming Test series.
Paisami, who has 31 caps, most recently played for the Wallabies in last year’s Rugby Championship and will relish his midfield battle with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones.
Faessler, meanwhile, has recently returned from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the run-in to the Reds’ season and has an Test hat-trick to his name, against Wales last year.
There are seven other capped internationals named in the Reds’ matchday squad to face the Lions, including the aforementioned Toomaga-Allen and Salakaia-Loto.
There are two other locks who have played for Australia in their ranks in Josh Canham and Angus Blyth, with the latter named on the bench, while centre Josh Flook has four caps to his name.
Their other Wallabies are flanker Seru Uru and replacement hooker Josh Nasser.
Also included in the Reds’ starting line-up is their top try scorer from their most recent Super Rugby Pacific season in winger Lachie Anderson, who crossed the whitewash eight times during the campaign.
Venue
Suncorp Stadium – historically known as Lang Park – opened way back in 1914, although it was extensively redeveloped in the early 2000s into the 52,500-capacity arena that stands today.
It is a stadium of many purposes, although traditionally it is the home of rugby league in Brisbane, hosting State of Origin matches and being the home ground for NRL sides Brisbane Broncos and the Dolphins.
It also hosted the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final, when Australia defeated England.
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In rugby union, it has been the home of Queensland Reds since 2005 and has hosted 42 Test matches, while it will also be the venue for the Lions’ first Test against Australia in just over two weeks’ time.
Suncorp Stadium has been increasingly used for football, including being home to A-League team Brisbane Roar, and will host the gold-medal matches in the 2032 Olympics after being one of the venues for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
It also played host to the world welterweight boxing title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Australia’s Jeff Horn in 2017 which the latter won via a unanimous decision.
Outside of sport, Suncorp Stadium is a popular music venue, with Lady Gaga and Metallica due to play there later in the year.
